25 JAG Kisses
by 2AM
Summary: A challenge I set for myself to overcome writer's block. 25 Kisses, H/M shippy , 25 prompts, I used a random word generator. Chapter 5: Force; "You actually asked me out on a date yesterday?" "Yes, what did you think I was doing?" "Not that."
1. 1 Apple x True Love's Kiss

Title: 25 JAG (H/M) Kisses

Disclaimer: I do not own JAG...

Pairings: H/M, might be some canon couples in there too

Warnings: None (well fluffy-ness and OOC-ness... what else is new?)

Rating: K (this time I even kept the swear words to a minimum)

Spoilers: None

Season: one of the early ones when Harm and Mac were still teetering along the edge between friends and star-crossed lovers

Summary: Little challenge I set for myself to overcome writer's block... 25 Kisses, 25 random prompts (used a random word generator). Chapter 1: Apple

AN: So... my new long-term project (I started writing Icarus in Dec 2010 and I usually don't stick with fics for more than two weeks or so) is still uncooperative so I decided to work on some other stuff in the mean time and ended up with this little challenge. The idea is to write 25 JAG Kisses (most of which will be H/M shipper friendly) using 25 random prompts I got from a random word generator. I hope that I will have done all of them by the end of 2011 (my most long-term and ambitious project, yet).

**Chapter 1: ****Apple (True Love's Kiss)**

_In an office, __A military base, __(Not JAG HQ)_

"Are you gonna eat that?"

Mac looked up from the file she was reading. "Am I gonna eat what?"

Harm pointed at the innocuous fruit sitting innocently on the corner of her temporary desk.

"I'm... thinking about it." She answered while shooting a distrustful glance at it.

"Thinking about it? That's a no, right?" He stretched out his arm, intending to grab it.

"No!" Mac slapped his hand away. "That mean's I'm undecided about whether or not I'm going to eat that... fruit."

Harm raised his eyebrows. "That _fruit_ is an apple, Mac, and why would you be _undecided_ about eating it... it's not like we're talking about a marriage proposal or a career change. You're hungry? You eat it! You're not hungry? Then I will! It's as easy as that."

Mac rolled her eyes. "It's red, Harm."

He blinked. "So?"

"It's a perfect, bright red apple, given to me by a lovely old lady, commenting on how 'red apples make all your wishes come true'."

Harm stared at her in silence for about two seconds before he gave in to the irresistible urge to snicker. "Mac, I hate to break it to you, but while you have the dark hair and red lips thing down to a tee, your skin isn't exactly 'white as snow'. And no matter what you might think... you're not a princess either. So, I'm almost 100% sure that eating that apple will have no adverse effects on your health."

Mac mock-scowled at Harm for a moment before she picked up the apple and took a bite, chewing it slowly while looking straight into his eyes. "Hmm... you're right." She said after swallowing. "It's delicious and I feel just fine. Thank you so much for... uh... taking away all my fears, oh knight in shining navy summer uniform."

Harm rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go and check on Bud and Harriet. Make sure they make any actual progress at something other than fine-tuning their skills at tonsil-hockey." He got up and walked around the desk, passing her on his way to the door, he added, "Speaking of..." He quickly leaned in and brushed his lips over Mac's, using the opportunity her surprised gasp afforded him to let his tongue slide along the inside of her upper lip, tasting the sweetness of apples, bitterness of coffee and something that was both spicy and soft and uniquely Mac. Then he suddenly pulled back and grinned, "Just making sure I don't find you in a glass coffin when I get back," And strode out of the room, whistling the first notes of 'Someday my Prince will come' before biting a big chunk out of Mac's perfect, red apple.

Mac blinked in shock. "Oh, that sneaky, conniving S.O.B." She pulled her cell phone out of her brief case.

_Don't you dare thinking that I'll let you get away with that, you smarmy squid-like apple-thief.__ I'm gonna get my revenge when you least expect it. -M _

_I'm already looking forward to it. -H _

**The end**

AN: Love it? Hate it? Just tell me ;)


	2. 2 Baffle x How to get revenge 101

Title: 25 JAG Kisses – Chapter 2: Baffle

Disclaimer: I do not own JAG

Pairings: H/M pre-ship, slight Harriet/Bud

Warnings: None

Rating: K

Spoilers: None

Summary: Mac gets her revenge...

AN: Okay, first I need to make one thing clear... these are mostly going to be UNRELATED one-shots (including AUs, pre-series stuff, etc.)... this chapter is a continuation of 'Apple' though, because _AAB_ and _Michi UK_ asked for it and I admittedly wanted to write some Mac!Revenge immediately after I was done with chapter 1... just took me some time to generate ideas (I should probably mention, that if enough people ask for a sequel to any given chapter I'll probably give in and write it even if I never planned to do so ;)

AN.5: Thanks to everybody who reviewed, it really helps to keep my muse happy (special thanks to AAB and vic1019 who did so anonymously and therefore didn't get a personal thank you pm).

I tried something different this time... I hope it works...

**Chapt****er 2: Baffle (How to get revenge 101)**

"Oh my God... that is so interesting... I never knew that jets could go so... fast... and high... and all that... I suppose it's very dangerous, too, isn't it?"

Harriet watched the incessantly flirting blond flight attendant in disgusted fascination. The woman had been hitting on Commander Rabb ever since they had entered the waiting area by the gate, and the commander had been flirting back ever since the major had decided to go find some creature comforts after a 30 minute delay had been announced. Said 30 minutes were almost over and by now Harriet wasn't sure if she should look forward to Major MacKenzie's return or fear it.

"Oh look, Harriet," Bud nudged her arm, "Major MacKenzie is back... and she bought apples." Harriet watched as a confused look spread over his face, trying to hide how baffled she was herself. For the last couple of days the commander had been using every figure of speech containing apples known to mankind, whenever he got the chance. And every single time, without fail, the major blushed. She had gotten increasingly grumpy, even going so far as to cut the commander off whenever she could.

"That... doesn't make any sense." She looked at Bud who watched with a frown as the major made her way over to where Commander Rabb was still flirting obliviously with 'Blondie'.

"Hi, Sweetheart."

Harriet felt her jaw drop as the major wound her arms around the commander's neck and planted a kiss right on his mouth.

"I'm back from my little shopping trip. And look what I found... apples! Don't they look delicious, darling?"

Next to her Bud was choking on thin air, while the flight attendant stalked off with a disgruntled expression firmly in place. The commander looked as if he was just as shocked by the major's unusual behavior as she was. Major MacKenzie on the other hand was taking a bright red apple out of a see-through plastic bag with a serene smile on her face.

"What the hell are you doing, Mac?" Commander Rabb finally managed to say.

"Getting revenge?" The major's smile turned into a smug little smirk.

"Revenge?"

"Uh huh." She nodded.

"And you really couldn't think of something other than destroying my chances at a hot date with a beautiful blond by walking up and _kissing_ me." The commander's voice carried an incredulous undertone.

"Of course I could have... but 'Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm' as the German's say."

The commander frowned. "You might wanna translate that, preferably before I assume that you just insulted me."

"Not you, Harm, just your intelligence." Harriet had to smile at the teasing lilt in Major MacKenzie's voice. "'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' And my revenge, in this particular case, doesn't 'fall far' from the offense that I'm getting revenge for." With that the major took another bite of her apple and started to walk towards the gate that had just been opened. "You coming, squid?"

Harriet watched amused as Commander Rabb stared after his partner, head shaking in disbelief. He turned towards Bud and her. "Did that just happen?"

"Uh... yes, sir, I think it did." She answered. Bud nodded mutely next to her.

"Huh...," The commander stared after Major MacKenzie as she sashayed past Blondie's very male and very good looking colleague. Then he frowned, squared his shoulders and looked back at them. "Let me rephrase that, Ensign, Lieutenant." He put on a serious expression. "Did that just happen?"

Harriet sensed the imminent disaster and interrupted Bud before he could open his mouth only to stick his foot in, "Did what just happen, sir?" She smiled innocently at him.

"That's what I wanted to hear." With that the commander walked off towards the gate.

Harriet turned towards her fiancé and grinned. "You think we'll ever find out what that was about?"

Bud chuckled. "Maybe on their 50th wedding anniversary... if we're lucky."

**The end**

AN: So... what do you think, did I do our favorite Marine justice? And how did Harriet's POV work out? It's the first time I've ever written anything from her POV.

ANother one: I know that I didn't use 'the apple falling not far from the tree' the right way here... but it was the best fitting 'apple phrase' I could think of.


	3. 3 Trolley x Kiss Goodbye

**Title**: Chapter 3: Trolley (Kiss Goodbye)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own JAG... I do not own the character I stole from another tv show (full disclaimer at the end because I don't wanna spoil it)

**Pairings**: H/M

**Warnings**: emotional angst of the "we're so over" kind

**Rating**: K+

**Timeline**: Episode 7x2 "New Gun in Town".

Skip the summaries if you already know where we are timeline and relationship-wise!

**Summary Adrift 1 and 2** (aka the season 6 cliffhanger ep and the first ep of season 7): Mac is about to marry Mic Brumby, Harm conveniently planned his carrier quals for the weekend but forgot to tell Mac about it, she's pissed when she hears he might miss her wedding, on the day of the rehearsal dinner Harm's tomcat goes down the drain and he and his RIO (Skates) have to eject into the ice cold Atlantic Ocean. They manage to find Skates and Harm in time to safe both of their lives, but they both need some rehab time, during this time Mac pushes the wedding back again and again, until Mic has enough and first calls the wedding off and then leaves Mac altogether. Harm asks Mac to come and see him, by the time she arrives Renee (his girlfriend) is already at the apartment, distressed because her father just died. Mac leaves, stands in the rain, watching through a window as Harm comforts Renee. End of Adrift two parter.

**Summary 7x2**: Mac requests an assignment away from JAG HQ, and Harm's old Naval Academy friend, Commander Sturgis Turner, arrives. Mac's first case is to investigate the disappearance of the JAG officer on the vessel she and Gunny are assigned to (Source: Wikipedia).

**Air date**: October 2nd, 2001

**Changes**: For sake of this fic, please assume that the episode aired a week later, on October 9th (2 days after the war in Afghanistan began); also assume that Mac doesn't _ask_ for a reassignment, she gets called into the admiral's office and he tells her that she's been chosen as a member of an international team, that is going to lay down guidelines for the war, she's being sent to Europe because of it. Mac doesn't fight that decision, she's glad to get away.

**Song**: "Make it without you" by Andrew Belle, I suggest listening to it (while reading unless that distracts you too much, I have trouble with that myself) it's a wonderful song... (you should be able to find it on youtube)

**AN**: I did NOT plan to write a songfic... it just happened... sorry... if songfics annoy you just skip the stuff that is written in italics.

**AN.5**: Thanks to everybody who reviewed. Special thanks to anonymous reviewer marye 904, sorry, no continuation of Apples/Baffle, but I might get back to it at a later time!

**Chapter 3: Trolley (Kiss Goodbye)**

_This is the starting of my greatest fear__  
__I'm all packed up, getting out of here__  
__But then you call and tell me not to go__  
__That I'm the one who put the rock n roll__  
__In your life__  
_

_Andrews Air Force Base, __Washington DC_

"Mac! MAC, WAIT!" She could hear his feet pounding the floor, running after her, yelling her name in the corridor leading to the tarmac.

She stopped, shoulders sagging, and let out a deep unhappy sigh. She had hoped that she... that _they_ could avoid this. Finally she turned around slowly. "What do you want, Harm?"

He slowed down walking the last steps towards her. "I... what... the admiral said you didn't even fight this."

She closed her eyes, looked away from him for a moment, trying desperately to gather her thoughts, but the dam had already broken. She looked directly at him. "I'm leaving, Harm."

"Why?"

She closed her eyes, trying not to scream at the steadfast denial in his eyes. "I don't know. Orders." If he wasn't going to give in neither was she.

"Orders? What kind of reason is that?"

Mac clenched her teeth. He had no right. No right, to question her decisions. "Harm, don't."

"But-"

"Just, don't...," she took a deep breath, trying to keep her tears at bay, "...say anything. Just... I can't be this person anymore." Somehow a little bit of truth had found its way to freedom. The same freedom she was yearning for after all the hurt and anger that she had inflicted on others and suffered from herself. "I'm leaving."

_T__his is the starting of a brand new day__  
__I never liked this town much anyway__  
__I need this city like I need the rain__  
__I know that somewhere there's a north bound train_

"Mac..." So much pain wrapped up in one utterance of her name. It was time for this to be over. If she could never be truly free from his grasp, so be it. But she'd do anything to make his pain go away. Even if she had to break his heart fully before it could finally mend and be whole.

"It's time to say goodbye... for the last time." Her whispered words did nothing to sooth him, nothing to bring him comfort. So she stepped slowly into his space, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

_Oh I__'ll make it without you__  
__And though my body's laying here__  
__It's my mouth that must be lying now_

He didn't move, didn't respond for the first couple of seconds. Still couldn't believe this was happening to him... to them. Couldn't believe how much it hurt to lose this woman, this friend, this... love. Finally he overcame the paralyzing thoughts and feelings swirling around in his mind and pulled her in, pressing her body into his, kissing her back, refusing to let her go when she started pulling back.

In the end his need for air won over his desire to keep holding on to this moment, this last moment, he had with her. He slowly released her. The unshed tears in her eyes reminded him of the glint she'd usually get in those dark irises when she was teasing him, and somehow that memory made this goodbye even more painful.

_T__his is the starting of my fall from grace__  
__My self esteem, it's seen better days__  
__But you know I'll never let this go to waste__  
__I'll keep this memory on the map I trace__  
__Back to home_

"Promise me something." He could see her aching under her tough demeanor.

He nodded. "Anything."

A grimace that was supposed to be a smile flit across her face, but the long-time joke didn't come. He had made too many unspoken promises he _didn't_ keep for her to believe in him now.

"Be happy, Harm. Just... let go and be happy."

He closed his eyes, tried to breath through the iron coil that was winding itself around his lungs. "I can't do that, Mac."

"Please." One look at the tear running down her cheek and he was lost... for better, for worse... there was no saying no to her when she was standing here, crying.

"Fine. I'll try."

They heard the clicking of someone in high-heels coming towards them. The scratchy-squeaky noise that accompanied it suggested a trolley, most likely pulled by a civilian. Still, he could see how Mac put on her façade again and stepped back, bringing the appropriate distance between them and carefully wiping away her tears.

"Goodbye, Harm." The words were spoken quietly, full of resignation.

"Bye, Mac." He wanted to hug her again. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted her to stay. He knew that none of those things were going to happen.

"Colonel MacKenzie."

They both turned towards the voice. A tall, thin brunette in a black skirt/jacket combo and a red blouse was giving Mac a once over, openly assessing the Marine standing in front of her.

"I'm Doctor Elizabeth Weir, pleased to have you on my team. You ready to go?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The brunette turned towards him, raising one eyebrow in question. He looked at Mac for a long moment. "Bye, Colonel."

"Commander."

"Doc." He nodded at the stranger, saw her rolling her eyes as he turned away from them and started walking down the hallway. When he heard their steps again he stopped and turned, watched as Mac walked out of his life without looking back.

...

_My friends go out, but I__'ve been staying in__  
__I know I should but that's the way it's been__  
__I never cared much for the taste of gin__  
__I still don't now, oh, but it's been helpin_

He'd given up after his first Vodka Tonic. He had no idea how Mac had managed to get drunk on that stuff on a regular basis. He had no idea how anyone could get drunk on it. He had no idea how anyone could drink it period. Gin Tonic however was a different story. He'd been sitting at home all evening drinking one glass after the other. Sturgis had joined him at some point and had needled him with question until he'd given up and had given him a long, somewhat disjointed account of how he managed to screw up so badly that it cost him the love of his life.

"You know," Sturgis wrestled the bottle away from him just as he was trying to refill his glass. "I don't think this is what she meant when she told you to be happy without her."

Somewhere in his muddled brain his extensive experience as a lawyer made an alarm bell ring. There was a mistake somewhere in there, but unfortunately his neurons were currently busy trying not to drown in alcohol so he really couldn't find it.

"Would you write that down, please?" He slurred.

"Would I write what down?" Sturgis looked confused.

"What you just said." He made a gesture trying to indicate something.

"Why?"

"There's something in what you just said that doesn't make sense, but I can't figure it out right now, so would you please write it down?"

"If I do, will you stop drinking and go to bed?"

"Deal."

He watched as Sturgis walked over to the desk and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling something on it... something way longer than whatever he'd just said.

"You still here?" Sturgis looked at him expectantly.

"No." Harm got up and made his way to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed as soon as he reached it. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

_Oh I__'ll make it without you__  
__In my life__  
__Oh I'll make it without you__  
__And though my body's laying here__  
__It's my mouth that must be lying now_

He found the note a couple of days later, lying on his desk long forgotten due to too much alcohol and a massive hang over.

_You asked me to write this down for you, because you were t__oo drunk to figure out what was wrong with it... so here we go, I hope you're sober enough to remember why this was bugging you so much, buddy. _

'_I don't think this is what she meant when she told you to be happy without her.' _

'_This' refers to getting drunk by the way, just thought I'd add that. _

_-S.T._

Harm frowned while he stared at the note. He vaguely remembered asking Sturgis to write something down, but the particular sentence didn't seem to ring any bells and he had no idea why it had been so important to him. Sighing, he dropped the note into the waste paper basket under his desk. He was about to walk over to his kitchen area when his eyes focused on a picture of Mac and him, sitting innocently on his shelf, causing him enough pain that he turned it around so that only the back of the frame was visible. He took a step away when it suddenly hit him... he whirled around and picked Sturgis' note out of the basket, staring at the sentence again.

_I don't think this is what she meant when she told you to be happy without her._

'_Be happy, Harm. Just... let go and be happy.' _

He didn't know how long he just stood there, going over the words in his head again and again, fighting the tiny tendrils of hope clinging to the sentence on the paper. He had to be wrong. He had to be right. He... he had to find out. He made a lunge for his phone, hitting speed dial 1, then remembering the painful goodbye, the disappointment and resignation in her eyes. Realizing that calling her now would be too little too late.

He hung up, then dialed another number, preparing himself for the wrath he would very likely encounter for disturbing its owner.

...

_Mac's Apartment, London, UK_

Mac sighed as she walked up the steps to her second floor apartment... or her 'first floor flat' as the locals called it. The thought teased a weak smile out of her. She'd been gone for a week. The work was tiring, her new boss surprisingly demanding for a civilian. Thankfully Dr. Weir was also understanding and empathic. Mac was sure that she'd have thrown the towel within the first 48 hours on the job if she wasn't. Who would have thought that diplomats could be so... difficult or that they were worse workaholics than most lawyers she knew, herself included? She hadn't gotten home at a decent hour since she left JAG, and today the 'friendly discussions' had run even later than usual.

She walked around the corner and stopped abruptly. Her fantasies of a late dinner and a long bubble bath evaporating as she took in the image of Harmon Rabb Jr. sitting with his back against her front door, clothes rumpled, dark rings under his eyes, a small duffle bag next to him... he was fast asleep.

She considered leaving quietly, finding another place to stay for the night, hoping that he'd get the message and go away. She considered walking up to him and kissing him for coming after her. She considered standing in the hallway all night, clutching her brief case in her hand, her cover still on her head. She didn't get to choose between her options. Harm had always had the worst timing.

He groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking wearily until they settled on her. He froze, staring at her. Mac wondered if she'd caught him by surprise or if he really didn't have a plan beyond coming here. She hoped he did. She wasn't sure she could take any more of his act-first-think-about-it-later approach.

She watched as he slowly stood up. Very slowly. She frowned. "I'm not gonna bolt, you know."

He chuckled. The sound was empty, as if something had stolen all the warmth, all the amusement it usually conveyed. "I wasn't sure about that. You said goodbye."

"Yes." The few feet separating them felt like a canyon to her.

"You asked me to promise you to be happy."

"Yes." Mac frowned in confusion. Where was he going with this?

He took a sudden step forward. "You never made me promise that I would be happy _without_ you."

She blinked, trying to understand what was happening.

"I..."

He somehow managed to cross the divide between them, standing in front of her invading her space.

"I promise you, Sarah MacKenzie, I'll be happy. I'll let go and I'll be happy... _with_ you." She didn't put up a fight when he hugged her, pulled her against his body. Instead she closed her eyes and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder.

"Harm-"

"Shh... I cannot be happy without you. If you want me to be happy, truly happy, then you have to give me one more chance. I promise I won't screw it up. Not completely."

She pulled away and looked up at him. "You came all the way from Washington just to tell me that?"

"Yes. I also wanted to tell you that I missed you, and that I never want to lose you again, but-"

She rolled her eyes at the nonchalant way he was talking, but couldn't stop a dazzling smile from appearing on her face. "Shut up, Squid." She stepped away from him and towards the door. "Let's take this inside. I can make something for dinner while you tell me how you ended up here."

"Do I have to?"

She whirled around ready to scream when she saw him grin.

"Just kidding." His sudden good mood was contagious.

"Harm?" She opened the door and he followed her into her apartment. "I missed you."

He looked into her dark eyes for a long moment. "I missed you, too, Mac. I've been for a long time."

She nodded. Then she looked around her, trying to organize her thoughts.

"Mac?"

"Yes?"

"Can we take this slow? I mean..." He broke off, unsure about how to explain himself. "It seems like our friendship was lost along the way and before we... take that chance... I'd just like to get to know you again."

Mac smiled. "I'd like that."

"Good. Great. I... um... so..."

She couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her. "Who are you and what did you do to Commander Harmon Eloquence Rabb?"

"Ouch! I'm wounded!" He was grinning from ear to ear. So was Mac.

**The end **

AN: No second kiss... sorry... but I tried to keep them in character and we all know they chicken out whenever one of them doesn't have one foot out the door. I promise there'll be two kisses in the next chapter; it will also be a lot more fluffy (I'm planning on writing a conventional first date; hopefully it'll work out okay). Prompt for chapter 4 is 'skin' by the way.

So... did you like it? Was Harm to willing to talk at the end? I find it really difficult to judge whether he's still in character at times... (don't forget to review ;)

Disclaimer2: I do not own Stargate SG1 or Stargate Atlantis... the character of Dr. Weir belongs to whomever it belongs to, but no to me... just wanted to make that clear.


	4. 4 Skin x How to date your coworkers 101

Title: 25 JAG Kisses – Chapter 4: Skin (101 Trilogy Part 1)

Disclaimer: I do not own JAG

Pairings: H/M, Bud/Harriet

Warnings: This fic has gone up in rating, it is now a T for mild sexual situations (very mild ;)

Rating: T

Spoilers: Um... Everything till Embassy (4x2) is fair game.

**Timeline**: This little Trilogy (yes, there will be three parts!) is set a couple of days after the season 4 episode 'Embassy'.

**For reference** (don't read if you already know where exactly we are timeline wise): At the end of season 3 Harm and Mac go to Russia where we find out what happened to Harm's Dad. Harm and Mac's first assignment after their return (at least it looks like it was their first real assignment and it's the first one we get to watch) is going to a party at the Sudanese embassy, where Harm is supposed to get some data off a computer, Mac is his decoy. Unfortunately things go sour and Harm and Mac have to reveal a ploy by the ambassador that is to make him look good by pretending to be a hostage of terrorists, they also steal back some Ebola virus for good measure... anyway, the episode ends with Harm and Mac walking out of the embassy joking about how they should go out more often together...

**Relationship-wise**: Mac broke up with Dalton (who then got killed) and is now single and intent on staying so for the near future (SAID INTENT WILL BE IGNORED IN THIS FIC!); Annie broke up with Harm, so he's single, too. H/M friendship is at it's best at the beginning of the season... over the course of season 4 the writers set out on the path of destroying it, though (okay, that's just my opinion ;), Harriet and Bud just announced (t)he(i)r first pregnancy.

Summary: Harm finally asks Mac out on a date, and she says 'yes'... and, no, of course it's not **that** easy ;)

AN: Yeah, I know I said this was supposed to consist of one-shots... but then I had this idea, so instead of getting to read a conventional date (as promised) you also get to see the foul-ups before it can finally happen... because nothing is ever easy where Harm and Mac are concerned ) btw this is unbeta'd and therefore all mistakes are mine.

AN2: I forgot... I'm sorry this took so long, RL through me for a loop... chapter 2 is halfway written and many reviews will probably maybe possibly help getting it done quicker :P

AN.5: Thanks to everybody who reviewed!

**Chapter 4: Skin (How to date your co-worker 101: Step 1 – Asking your co-worker out) **

_Undisclosed Date, Undisclosed Location_

"_I'm insulted." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. _

"_Why?" Mac leaned over, putting her hand on his arm, shifting it so she could take a closer look at the gift Harriet had just given him. As the gorgeous woman next to him dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter, Harm resigned himself to his fate and held up the book to let the rest of the dinner party see it. _

_It looked innocuous enough, a white background framing the picture of a couple in business suits, smiling at each other over a shared desk in the middle of a modern bull-pen. The title however... _

_Harm prepared himself for the inevitable good-natured ribbing as he wondered what possible use "How to date your co-worker 101 – a guide to successfully dating your co-worker in 10 simple steps" could have for him now. _

_A year earlier..._

_Thursday afternoon, JAG Headquarters, Washington DC_

Harm sat in his office, a frustrated frown firmly in place. He was trying to concentrate on a case file, he really was. It just didn't work. He couldn't get her out of his head. It was Webb's fault. After all he'd been the one who forced him to run around an embassy with her in a tight fitting evening gown less than a week ago. Or maybe it had been his fault. Russia certainly hadn't helped to get Mac off his mind. And then there was the kiss they had shared after he confronted Diane's murderer.

_They were standing on the pier, a couple of feet away from the edge, Mac wearing a lieutenant's uniform for some strange reason, an expression of horror on her face as the realization sank in that a man had just died here... and some might call that her fault. Others, like him, would agree that the SOB got what he deserved. _

_He focused on the dark horizon and took a deep breath, Diane's laugh was echoing through his mind. It was strange how he was able to keep her laugh apart from Mac's when in the beginning it had seemed so similar. He looked back at her and found that she was watching him. Her dark hair curling around her ears, the white uniform enhancing the ghostly quality she had about her. _

_It wasn't Diane's uniform, he reminded himself. Couldn't be. Had she lived, Diane would have made Lt. Commander by now. She wasn't Diane. The woman standing in front of him wasn't the woman he'd loved, maybe, and lost. _

_She was about to say something, red lips parting invitingly and something in him snapped. He never made the conscious decision to walk towards her, never planned on pulling her close and kissing her, but he did nonetheless. When he let her go Mac was smiling, a deep sadness clouding her dark eyes. "I know... you were kissing her." _

_He didn't know why he didn't correct her then and there. He knew exactly who he was kissing – the woman that had once again saved him from himself – the woman that somehow managed to stand between him and his demons when she was still reeling from the blows she received from her own. _

He somehow managed to stop himself from slamming his head against his desk in frustration as he realized that he had once again allowed himself to daydream about his colleague... friend... whatever it was that Mac had become while he was still busy burying his ghosts. He frowned as he remembered a talk he'd had with his mother after he'd gotten back from Russia, after he'd told her about dad. They had been sitting on the patio, listening as the waves crashed against the shore, late at night.

"_So... what are you going to do now?" _

_He looked up surprised. "What do you mean?" _

"_For as long as you can remember your goal in life was to find your father, Harm. You found him. And I was wondering... what are you going to devote you're life to now?" _

"_I don't know. Why do you think that I'll 'devote my life' to anything, mom?" _

_She had sadly smiled at him. "Because you're you." She looked away from him, towards the black ocean. "You never give up. You never give in. You never stop searching. You've been driven since you were six. And it's probably not a bad thing, in fact, many good things have come from it. So... what is going to drive you to succeed now?" _

_The unbidden image of a fiery dark haired Marine had flitted through his mind. "I don't know, mom. Maybe it's time to... stop. And just be." _

His gaze zeroed in on the watch on his wrist. 1520. He'd been sitting here since his lunch break without achieving a single task and all because of...

"_You know, we should go out more often."_

"_Sure, I had a wonderful time tonight." _

He turned his head, watching Mac through the windows that separated their offices. She was reading a file, her brows furrowed a little in concentration, completely unaware of the chaos she was creating in his mind. _Maybe it's time to stop, and just be._ Harm closed the case file and threw it on the table. He was done moping. While Miss Innocent one office to the left was weaseling her way through her pile of paperwork, he finally came up with a plan of action. It was time to actually _do_ something about these bothersome thoughts.

"Hey, Mac, got a minute?" Harm stuck his head into Mac's office, finding her engrossed in a file.

"Yeah, sure, come in..." She waved her hand in the general direction of her visitor's chair.

Harm took a seat and discretely looked at his watch. 1533 hours. Mac continued reading her file, her brow furrowing in concentration, every now and then she'd scribble a few hieroglyphs onto a yellow legal pad next to her. He rolled his eyes. Knowing Mac, she had already forgotten that he was even there. He looked at his watch again – 1535 hours. Then he suddenly realized that Mac being engrossed in her file also meant Mac not being aware of what he was doing and leant back in his chair, leisurely letting his gaze roam over her.

Her brown hair was relatively long now, she'd probably get a hair cut soon. Her skin was paler than it had been a couple of weeks ago, losing color as autumn stole away the hours in the day and the weather became worse. One of her eyebrows formed an elegant arch as she found a new piece of information and the corner of her mouth turned upward in a hidden smirk. 'Gotcha, Bastard'. He focused on her lips... soft, red and... and she'd stopped smiling.

As he looked up to her eyes, he found that she'd abandoned the file and was watching him, confusion and slight suspicion clearly visible in her dark eyes. "Are you staring at me?"

He wanted to look away self-consciously but his flyboy arrogance overpowered the urge easily. Instead he looked her straight in the eyes, grinned and said, "I think that's exactly what I'm doing."

Mac frowned. "Why? Is something wrong with my face?" She started searching through her desk drawer, probably looking for a handheld mirror.

"Everything is fine with your face, Mac. It's beautiful."

Her head snapped up so fast he almost regretted teasing her. He was here on a mission and annoying her by causing a case of whip-lash was not part of the plan.

"Excuse me?"

"What, I can't make you a simple compliment?" He faked astonishment.

"Of course you _can_... I'm just surprised because you never actually _do_."

He frowned. That couldn't be true. "I'm sure I've complimented you before, Mac."

"Name one time."

He opened his mouth to respond, but she interrupted him, "Nah-uh, compliments about my various skills don't count!"

Harm sighed, slightly annoyed with this set-back. "You're not gonna make this easy, are you?"

"Make what easy?" Her face was a carefully neutral mask, but he could see the curiosity and slight confusion hidden in her eyes.

He wondered when asking a girl – woman – out had become such a hassle, or when he'd last had trouble with it. Must have been when he was in junior high.

"Harm?"

There was no way he was gonna answer that question. Time for a diversion. "Columbia."

"What?" She'd apparently given up trying to hide her confusion.

"I complimented your looks when we were in Columbia."

"Oh, yeah. You said 'Very nice' as I stepped through the door."

The disapproving tone lacing her voice, made him frown. "What's wrong with that."

Mac sighed. "I suppose there's an actual reason you're preventing me from working?"

"Uh... yeah, there is..." Unfortunately he was almost 100% sure he'd pissed her off enough to reject his offer on principle.

"Okay. What is it?" Her eyes strayed towards the file she'd abandoned to talk to him.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow night?" And did he sound as nervous as he thought? From the way Mac's eyebrows jumped up towards her hairline he assumed he did.

"No, I don't. Why are you asking?"

He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay completely calm. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Mac blinked a couple of times. Just as she opened her mouth to answer there was a knock on her office door.

"I'm gonna strangle Bud." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"How do you know it's Bud?" Mac asked him, before she yelled, "Enter!"

The lieutenant stuck his head through the door. "Uh, ma'am, Tiner asked me to tell you that the admiral wants to see you, ASAP."

"I don't think I know anyone who has worse timing." Harm explained as Mac got out of her chair and made her way around her desk.

"Thanks, Bud. Is the intercom still down?" She stopped next to Harm's chair.

"Yes, ma'am, and the admiral is not happy about it. Uh... can I get back to my paperwork, ma'am? I need to get it done today, tomorrow we're in court all day and I want to take Harriet out for dinner to celebrate and if I don't finish..."

"It's okay, Bud, get back to it." Mac interrupted his ramblings. "And have a nice evening with Harriet."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Bud left, leaving the door half open.

Mac turned back to Harm, eyes narrowing. "First: pissing me off before asking me out is _not_ a good strategy, I'd force you to redo the whole thing, but I know you're a coward when it comes to commitment, so I'll take what I can get." He opened his mouth to interrupt her but she ignored him. "Which leads me to two: Yes, I'd love to have dinner with you tomorrow night, provided the admiral isn't sending me out of town, in that case I'll take a rain check on our date." Harm held up his hands in a gesture that was half placating and half protesting. "And C: He who sits in the glass house should not throw stones. Your timing, Harmon Rabb, sucks way more than Bud's."

"But..." He got out of the chair moving towards her quickly.

"If you'd had the guts to ask me when I first caught you staring at me, Bud wouldn't have been able to interrupt you at the worst possible moment. And..."

"MAJOR MACKENZIE!" The yell made both of their heads turn. Chegwidden was standing in his office door, obviously pissed. "When I tell my personnel to tell you to get your butt into my office ASAP, I mean ASAP and not sometime tomorrow when you're done chatting with Commander Rabb."

"Yes, sir."

Harm grimaced as he watched Mac quickly making her way to the admiral. When the door to Chegwidden's inner sanctum had closed he quickly left her office and went back to his own. He really didn't want to risk getting stuck doing 'overdue' paperwork tomorrow night after all.

**The end**

AN: So... did you like it?

Also... poll time... would you like Harm and Mac to have

a) a run in with Bud and Harriet while on their date;

b) a run in with the Admiral while on their date;

c) a run in with someone else (suggestions welcome);

or d) a normal dinner without interruptions?

(No, there is no poll in my profile, if you want me to take your opinion into account, leave me a review (I don't mind if it's three words e.g. _nice chapter, b_!))

**Chapter 5 Sneak Peek:**

_Mac snorted. Harriet's gift definitely ranked among her personal top ten. She was sure that if she looked up 'unintentionally hilarious' in the dictionary she'd find some sort of reference to this book. _

'_... make sure to follow the following three instructions if you want to successfully ask your co-worker out on a date: 1) Make sure to broach the topic of inter-colleague-relationships at an opportune moment in order to assure that your target-co-worker does not have issues with it, if they imply that they do not look kindly onto inter-colleague-relationships do not ask them out. 2) Do not ask them out in the office, or at any place closely related to your workplace, instead ask them when you are at least a half mile away from the premises. __**3) **__**Make sure that your colleague takes your request seriously, especially if you have never given him/her any inclination that you are interested in them as more than a colleague ...'**_

(and yes, there's a reason that last sentence is highlighted... um I mean... written in bold letters ;)


	5. 5 Force x How to date your coworkers 101

Title: 25 JAG Kisses Chapter 5 (How to date your co-worker 101: Step 2 – Preparations)

Disclaimer: I do not own JAG, obviously, since otherwise I'd probably not be sitting here writing fanfics

Pairings: H/M, Harriet/Bud

Warnings: okay, so I know I changed the rating to T in the last chapter... but that was actually supposed to happen in this chapter, so... yeah, T for **mildly** adult situations

Rating: T

Spoilers: Um... I rewrote a scene from season 4... let's just say everything till 5x1 is fair game.

Summary: Harm asked Mac out on a date... Mac said yes... but with these two... nothing is ever THAT easy.

Timeline: like the last part this happens in the week after 4x2 "Embassy"

AN: I just thought I'd let you know that I watched (and wrote down the lines of) about 10 minutes of the most cringe-worthy JAG scenes I can think of, just so that there could be a kiss in this part. In fact the scenes I watched for the second and hopefully last time in my life could be used to torture H/M-Shippers into giving up their worst secrets, just by forcing them to watch them *shudders* (I'm sure you'll agree when you get there ;)

Also... I am sooo sorry this is so late... the chapter was halfway written and I knew where I wanted to go with it... but then I got Harm and Mac stuck somewhere (you'll see) and I just couldn't find a good way of getting them out till this morning. Plus I was suffering from writers block, but my muse finally kicked back in, so on with the story...

AN.5: Thanks to everybody who reviewed and/or voted and thanks to elodie and j who reviewed anonymously.

**Chapter 5: Force (How to date your co-worker 101: Step 2 – Preparations) **

_Mac snorted. Harriet's gift definitely ranked among her personal top ten. She was sure that if she looked up 'unintentionally hilarious' in the dictionary she'd find some sort of reference to this book. _

'_... make sure to follow the following three instructions if you want to successfully ask your co-worker out on a date: 1) Make sure to broach the topic of inter-colleague-relationships at an opportune moment in order to assure that your target-co-worker does not have issues with it, if they imply that they do not look kindly onto inter-colleague-relationships do not ask them out. 2) Do not ask them out in the office, or at any place closely related to your workplace, instead ask them when you are at least a half mile away from the premises. 3) Make sure that your colleague takes your request seriously, especially if you have never given him/her any clear indication that you are interested in them as more than a colleague ...'_

"_Harm?" _

"_Hm?" _

"_I'm starting to understand why Harriet decided this was the perfect gift for you." _

_He looked up from his murder mystery. "Really?" _

"_Uh-huh. I just don't understand why she didn't give it to you sooner! It could have spared me quite a few awkward conversations." _

"_I suppose you meant 'it could have spared __**us**__ quite a few awkward conversations'?" _

"_Nope... you got what you deserved." _

"_Oh, you..." _

_A year earlier..._

_Thursday afternoon, JAG Headquarters, Washington DC_

Once more Mac found herself thanking the universe for her multi-tasking abilities. Getting chewed out by Admiral Chegwidden was unnerving to say the least, but Harm's unusual behavior and the amusing image of him walking creases into the bull-pen floor while he waited for her to emerge to settle their little 'misunderstanding' (that's what he would probably call it) kept her occupied enough to ignore the unwarranted barbs her CO was throwing at her throughout the briefing.

The Admiral was in an unusually bad mood – the kind of bad mood he normally had when _someone_ decided to leave JAG, when _someone else_ was accused of murder or when he himself got taken hostage. And it had been a relatively normal day. Sure, the intercom was down and Harm had nervously asked her to have dinner with him, but... Mac suppressed a sigh and concentrated once more on her boss.

When she was finally dismissed Mac realized that it was already 1723 and Harm had (unsurprisingly) chosen to leave on time. Apparently his paperwork allergy trumped his need to correct her little misinterpretation of his friendly dinner invitation. She rolled her eyes as she squared her office away for the night and stuffed a couple of files into her briefcase. On her way out she overheard Chegwidden talking to someone on the phone in his office, and stopped for a moment to look back. The door was ajar, a cup of steaming coffee sat on the JAG's desk. He was apparently not planning on leaving within the next couple of hours. His mood seemed a lot better than it had been minutes ago, though. He was smiling and his voice was warm.

Mac smiled to herself as she stepped into the elevator. Hopefully whoever was on the phone would put the admiral in a tolerable mood, so that everybody would survive the next day.

_The next day, JAG HQ _

Mac stalked out of the courtroom, closely followed by Harm.

"You're not taking this personally, are you?" The smug disbelieve in his voice caused her hands to ball into fists. "All is fair in love, war and the courtroom, right?"

She stepped into the elevator. "Wrong."

Harm stopped the doors from closing, "Can we talk about this?"

Mac rolled her eyes. "No."

"Look, Mac, I don't want there to be hard feelings between us." He still stood in the middle of the doors, making them ping open once more.

"There is **nothing** between us, Harm. And if you don't step out of the doors right now, I'll..."

She didn't get to utter her threat, as Harm took a step inside the elevator, forced her back against the wall and kissed her passionately. She could feel his hands running up and down her sides as his tongue dueled with hers, until one of his hands slid into her hair while the other slowly slipped under her uniform shirt. The feeling of his fingers skimming over the skin of her stomach while he pressed her body harder into the wall behind her made her gasp. Just as his lips started a journey down her neck...

Her alarm clock rang.

Mac hit the snooze button harder than strictly necessary and turned over in her bed, snuggling deeper into her pillow, trying to coerce herself back to sleep. There was no way she was going for a 20 mile run when she could be lying here having erotic dreams about her 'platonic' friend. Five minutes later she got up anyway, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and chastising herself for rating the dream-kiss a 10 out of 10 on her hotness-scale.

While she slipped into the shower she mentally prepared herself for 'the talk' that was inevitably going to happen some time today. Harm would come into her office, probably carrying gifts (aka coffee and a doughnut), planning to carefully broach the topic of the dinner invitation. She'd cut him off at the pass and tell him immediately that she was just pulling his leg by calling it a 'date' and ask what exactly he was trying to rope her into anyway. Then he'd tell her about the charity dinner he needed to go to, or the old school friend who was in town who was so horribly boring that he'd need her help to survive the evening, or some other event along the same lines... she really hoped he wouldn't try to get her involved in a new obsession, now that they had found his father.

_Friday morning, JAG HQ (the real one this time ;) _

Mac stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor.

"Hold the elevator!"

She quickly stepped forward and stopped the doors from sliding shut. When they fully opened, Harm was standing on the other side. He stepped in and turned towards her.

"So... ready for the big evening?"

Mac's head whipped round. "Excuse me?"

"Don't tell me the Admiral chewed you out so badly you forgot about our dinner date tonight?" He was grinning.

"Um..." Mac shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, wondering if Harm was calling her bluff. "Harm..."

"What? He didn't really send you out of town, did he? We're right in the middle of the Jamison Court Martial." His apprehensive look didn't leave much room for interpretation.

"You actually asked me out on a _date_ yesterday?" She finally blurted out, just as the elevator jerked to a halt, lights flickering overhead. Mac hardly noticed.

"Yes, what did you think I was doing?" He looked incredulous.

"Not that." She offered with a weak smile.

"Then why did you accept?"

"I thought I was pulling your leg. You were so busy protesting-"

"I wasn't protesting!"

Mac raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I was protesting, but it had nothing to do with you believing it to be a date and everything to do with all the insults you were hurling at me." He explained, an amused grin spreading across his face. "You know, I just gotta say... people who live in glasshouses-"

"Should shower in the basement, I know, I know." She rolled her eyes. "Wait a minute, for your information, sailor, _my_ timing is fantastic!"

"Your _timing_ may be... but your _communication skills_..."

Mac stared at him for a moment, then hit his arm.

"See!" He was still grinning at her.

"Oh, satkniss!" Mac mumbled.

"Gesundheit?"

"I told you to shut up... why aren't the doors opening?" She motioned towards the still closed doors of the elevator.

Harm frowned, "I think we're stuck."

"Great." Mac sighed. "Bet ya Judge Morris is gonna love that!"

"Not to mention the Admiral. Seriously, how did your briefing with him go yesterday?" He asked, suddenly concerned.

Mac shook her head. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"That bad?"

She sighed, "I think he just had a really bad day... he might be in a better mood today, though."

Harm looked at her, unconvinced, while he picked up the elevator phone and hit the connect-button. "Why's that?"

"I overheard him talk to someone on the phone before I left and he sounded much better."

"Huh... that's good news. Of course if the two of us get stuck in this elevator much longer we're gonna be late for the Jamison Court Martial and that might take his maybe-good-mood down a notch or two."

Mac sighed. "Who do you want to call, maintenance or Bud?"

"Bud."

Mac rolled her eyes and picked up the phone attached to the elevator wall, while Harm pulled out his cell and speed-dialed Bud.

_5 Minutes later..._

"So?"

"So."

"Harm." Mac rolled her eyes.

"Bud's covering for us and Mattoni and Imes are willing to start the session of with a recess."

Mac sighed. "Good. Because the emergency guy said it could take 30 minutes."

Harm raised his eyebrows in disbelieve. "Till we're out?"

"Till they can get someone here to get us out."

"So, no morning coffee." Harm leaned against the wall, a morose look covering his face.

"The coffee I can live without... I'll probably go into a coma because of my low blood sugar while in court, though."

"If only Bud were here, he could open the doors with his force powers."

Mac grinned and shook her head. "Wrong franchise."

"Huh?"

"Force powers are Star Wars, Bud's a Trekkie."

"And that really makes a difference?"

Mac chuckled. "Not on the geekiness-scale, but the method of getting us out of here would definitely be different."

"Oh, really?" Harm raised his eyebrows. "Then how would he get us out of here?"

"Depends... if getting stuck was a big plot point he'd probably use a multi-phasic-spectral-techno-whatzzit-beam to laser through the doors... otherwise he'd just reverse the polarity."

He stared at her. "You realize you just sky-rocketed straight through geek-alarm into oh-god-there's-two-of-them territory, right?"

Mac snorted. "You haven't heard anything yet sailor. Just wait till I start talking car models and engine designs."

Harm slowly turned around and pretended to hit his head against the wall, while Mac started looking for her notes in her briefcase.

_10 minutes later_

They were leaning against the elevator walls, both of them reading files and notes for their upcoming court session when Mac finally decided to ask, "So, were are you taking me?"

Harm raised his head and looked at her. "Um... considering we're stuck in the elevator, I guess I'm taking you nowhere, Mac."

"For dinner, squid."

"Oh right... that depends on whether we're going on a date or meeting for a platonic dinner."

"I may have thought I was pulling your leg yesterday, Harm, but I was only half-joking when I accepted. So **where** are you taking me on our **date**?" She looked expectantly at him.

Harm pulled out a bottle of water from his briefcase and uncapped it. "La Ferme"

Mac sighed. "That's supposed to be fantastic."

"Good. Wouldn't want you to be disappointed after all." He raised the bottle to take a sip.

"Then you'd better be prepared to kiss me goodnight." Mac went back to her notes, grinning at the choking and coughing coming from her partner, only to have a small coughing fit herself when he got his voice back and said. "I'd kiss you right now, but knowing my luck the doors would suddenly open to reveal Chegwidden on the other side... and I really don't wanna be court-martialed again."

_Another 10 minutes later. _

"There is no way I'm gonna get anything to eat before we need to head to court... we'll probably be late by the time the doors open." Mac frowned angrily at the contraptions keeping her securely locked in.

"Would a double chocolate muffin help?"

Her head whipped around on its on accord. "Wha... Where would you get a double chocolate muffin in here?"

"From my briefcase." He suggested.

Her frown deepened. "Harm. This is NOT funny!"

"Okay, okay, here you go." To Mac's surprise he actually pulled a small paper bag out of his briefcase.

She slowly opened it and took out the contents, breathing in the scent of the dark chocolate frosting. Then she carefully took a bite. "Hmm... it's delicious! Since when do you carry chocolate muffins in your briefcase?"

"Uh... I was worried I might pull something unexpected without telling you about it in court today and then I'd have to bribe you, to get back into your good graces."

"**And** so that I wouldn't blow off our date tonight. So what are you planning on doing." She asked, shooting a suspicious glance at him.

"I'm not **planning** to do anything."

"Then why buy the muffin."

"Because I was worried I **might** do something stupid."

"But-"

He interrupted her. "This may come as a surprise for you, but if I don't tell you my plans it usually is because there is no plan."

Mac slowly shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "I knew you were more clueless than you were letting on, flyboy!"

_In the kitchen, JAG HQ, around lunch time_

"Where is Bud taking you for your celebratory dinner, Harriet." Mac asked, grabbing a plate and heading towards the fridge to get a couple of sandwiches. Harm, Bud and she had an hour before court would resume and had decided to make it a working lunch to make sure they were ready for the next round. Bud was already busy spreading case files over Harm's desk, while they were getting snacks from the kitchen.

"We have reservations at Le Ferme." Harriet eagerly told her, taking a bite from a chocolate bar.

Mac looked over at Harm who was looking back at her, while slowly shaking his head in resignation. Mac suppressed a sigh, wondering why these kinds of things always happened to her.

"That is great. The food is supposed to be delicious." Mac forced herself to continue the small talk.

Harriet nodded. "One of my friends went there on a date a while ago and she said it was the most romantic restaurant she's ever been to... I can't wait to see for myself." Then she frowned a little and added. "I suppose I'd better make sure that I'm done with all my work before 1700. I still have to decide what I want to wear. Excuse me, ma'am." She quickly left the kitchen.

Mac met Harm's gaze. "Damn. I'll try to get reservations somewhere else." He said with a sigh.

"On Friday afternoon for Friday night on the same day, sailor? No way you're gonna pull that off!" She picked up the plate she'd set down during the conversation and headed towards the door.

"I'd invite you to Chez Rabb, but somehow that would be weird on a first date, right?" Harm asked, only half joking.

"Well," Mac stopped, looked at him and grinned. "On a regular first date it would be weird and I would never agree, but we have known each other for over two years, I think I can risk visiting you at your apartment. And of course... I know where you keep your gun, so if I need it..." She was about to continue on her way when Harm quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.

Then he murmured. "So many inappropriate comments I could make, so little time."

Mac smiled deviously at him. "And if you want to see me in a dress tonight you'd better keep ALL of them to yourself."

_Mac's apartment, Washington DC, 1747 _

Mac was standing in front of her closet, scowling at the contents, body wrapped in a towel, a second towel covering her wet hair.

Just as she reached out for one of the dresses her phone started ringing.

"MacKenzie."

"So much for not pulling it off!" The voice on the other end sounded incredibly smug.

"Harm?"

"We have reservations at the 'Maestro' in McLean for 2000 hours. I'll pick you up around 1940..."

Mac grinned. At least she would now be able to exclude 95% of her wardrobe.

"Great. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye, Mac."

Mac listened as the line was disconnected, then she slowly lowered her phone, hanging up herself. Looking at the remaining 5% of her clothes her scowl returned. She'd worn the black dress to the NATO ball; Harm had already seen her in it. All her remaining gowns had been worn on dates with Dalton and considering how that had ended... She sighed as she sat down on the bed. How complicated could one date possibly be?

**TBC**

(I've always wanted to torture people by writing that under my fic *evil laughter*)

**AN**: So... I hope everybody liked it and I really hope I didn't make too many grammar and spelling mistakes, if you notice anything, tell me, I'll correct it.

The scenes I was talking about in the beginning are the Mac/Brumby elevator scenes from the season 4 episode 'Yeah Baby' *shudders*.

'Satkniss' is Russian for 'shut up'... obviously I can't use Cyrillic on ff(dot)net, so I changed it to my own (german) phonetics. I have no idea how to do that for English phonetics so it'd probably be better if you didn't try using it on any Russians you might know ;)


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